NHS Sustainability Day aims to celebrate the work done by staff within Trusts, hospitals and healthcare organisations across England to embed sustainable practices in their everyday working lives. Photograph: NHS Sustainability Day

NHS Sustainability Day is now in its second year. We really need these days to demonstrate how much action is possible and how much progress has already been made to deliver care today without prejudicing our ability to do even better tomorrow. The day aims to celebrate the work done by staff within Trusts, hospitals and healthcare organisations across England to embed sustainable practices in their everyday working lives.

Despite the huge changes in the NHS and public health system from 1 April this year, the leaders of both organisations are committed to supporting the work of those within the systems and their partners to delivering services that meet the needs of today as well as those of tomorrow.

NHS organisations across the country demonstrated their commitment to a sustainable future by activities such a tree planting, waste reduction, energy conservation and staff pledges.

Bart's hospital led the way with Fiona Daly, Trevor Payne, and Eleanor Clarke arranging day and evening events throughout their Trusts. Talks were given across the land, the highlight perhaps being a passionate set of talks by Ian Willis from the Scott Polar Research Institute; Professor Hugh Montgomery from the Whittington Hospital London; and from Sir Chris Bonington, the mountaineer. The striking points made by all speakers seemed to be the inter-connectivity of the systems that support a life worth living: access to food and water, avoidance of human conflict, and the preservation of the natural systems and resources that provide us with so much, most of which we blithely take for granted until they are gone forever.

Bonnington showed how much the landscape had change around the world in a lifetime of travel with over 90% of glaciers retreating due to climate disruption, a point reinforced by Willis.

Prizes were awarded that night by Trevor Payne to nine NHS and health related organisations across England in categoriesranging from clinical and community engagement, biodiversity, sustainable food initiatives, energy and waste reduction. Full results will be available soon on the NHS Sustainability Day and NHS Sustainable Development Unit websites.

Trevor Payne, the London leader who first started the Sustainability Day summed it up by reminding us that every action is important, and all actions can be simple; what matters is commitment in the face of huge challenges and opportunities.

We have learnt that such Days really give people confidence to be more innovative day in and day out, not just one day a year, whiledelivering very hectic day jobs, and it is not just hospitals that are leading the way. GP surgeries, mental healthcare Trusts and ambulance stations across England all raised their game by making normal what years ago would have been considered innovative. We need to demonstrate to ourselves that a safe, secure and fair future is possible whilestill providing healthcare to a million people every 36 hours. The main learning of the day has been that we cannot just think our way into a new way of acting, but mustact our way into a new way of thinking.

The NHS Sustainability Day has this year been another great opportunity for everyone to demonstrate leadership and show that small changes can make big differences. We know in theory, how to create a sustainable future, it's just that we find it difficult to do it positively, constructively, consistently, and consensually at the necessary scale and pace. These Days give everyone a chance to act. The time is now. This is happening on our watch and will be our legacy.